Our Home Away From Hell
by Roaming Writer
Summary: Sequel to Life is Strange, a story of Max and Chloe coping with the effects of the tornado. Sequel to "Save Chloe" ending.
1. Chapter 1

**This is part 1 guys :) I'll add more parts when I have more time.**

It was over. The tornado. Over. But Max didn't know if it was the right choice, as she looked out the window to piles of rubble. Lifeless. A family of deer ran across the broken remains of a house, oblivious to the horrors that unfolded just hours ago, oh how Max longed to be as innocent and oblivious to the world as the deer. To be innocent again. Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered the Dark Room, how her "innocence" led to all those horrors. But I guess that's just how life is… strange. Strange how it unfolds, its twists and turns out of anyone's control, unless you can bend time to your will. But that's how it all started right?, by bending and playing around with time as if it was a toy.

At that moment her train of thought was broken as she felt a hand on her shoulder, as the truck moved slower.

"Caufield, I understand how this must feel, and I just hope we can move past this.  
Together."

That familiar sound of the bluenette made her heart tingle, the sound she hasn't heard since the incident on the cliff. Then again she wouldn't blame her. I mean who can blame her? Whatever the case, a small reassured smile grew on Max's face.

"I know Chloe, but how can you be so sure that we can just go on? I can't help but feel  
that I made the wrong choice. But I—I couldn't lose you, not again after all I— we've  
been through together"

"Max, its been hard on me too, and I just feel that I am guilty for all this. Not you.  
Because of me, you were forced to make that decision, and I am selfish for letting you do  
so. I —"

"Chloe! Its not your fault at all. Look, that week was the best week I could've asked for,  
an—and I couldn't let it end"

Silence followed, as she noticed Chloe looked out to the Two Whales Diner, or what's left of it at least.

Then Chloe broke the silence,

"Do you think that they evacuated in time?"

Max didn't know what to say. Her heart broke as she thought about what could've happened to Joyce, what would happen to Chloe if Joyce— dammit! She didn't even want to finish her thought.

"I'd hope for the best Chloe. Joyce is a smart and resourceful woman. She's a survivor.  
Remember when she would start the fires during our camping trips and even cook up  
some breakfast? William would get so jealous."

"Those were great times, when we were together all the time."

Then Chloe's voice began to rise as she thought about William.

"Before William died, before this whole FUCKING town turned against me. DAMMIT! If mom didn't survive I—"

"Chloe! I'll always be here for you no matter what happens. You mean so much to me,  
I—I hate seeing you like this, always angry at the world"

As Max said this, she felt her throat close up as her eyes grew puffier. She couldn't bear to see her best friend, her angel so angry, so upset at the world. She longed for the times when her and Chloe would have fun and fool around, like when they snuck into the Blackwell pool, like when they hung out at the junkyard or at her house. But she would still be with Chloe through her tough times, like when she found Rachel's body, or when they were on the cliff, watching the tornado rampage through the town as a gust of wind does to a house of cards.

Max tried to hide her face from Chloe, as she looked out the window again. The car pulled to a stop as she felt arms around her back. She turned back to the driver's seat and saw her blue-haired angel, with her blue eyes glaring back at her. Max was ashamed to look back at those eyes, feeling unworthy of her friendship. Unworthy to be considered a friend when she left for 5 years during the time Chloe needed her most, when Rachel had to fill that hole, that vacuum Max left behind. It was also her fault that the tornado happened, that Chloe is angry right now. As she continued to avoid eye contact, she felt another arm wrap around her front torso, bringing her head to rest on the bare shoulder of the bluenette. Chloe smelled like weed and a hint of cologne, a smell that Max grew to love. With her head still on her shoulder, Chloe began to speak,

"Max i'm so sorry I got so angry. I know how hard it is for you to see me like this, but I  
promise you we will both move on from this. I'll always be with you. You will always be  
SuperMax, my… partner in time."

As Chloe's arms went back to the steering wheel, Max put her head on the girl's lap, and she saw Chloe's beautiful face look down her.

"Aw Max, I didn't know you had a soft spot for me. You're practically bawling your eyes  
out!" Chloe said with a smile.

"Oh shut up, it's just all this debris," she teased back.

"Ok Caufield, then I hope the debris clears out as I drive."

Max heard the engine start again, as she felt the rumbling of the noisy motor on Chloe's lap. To others, the sound of the rusty truck would be unbearable, but to Max it was soothing. She felt the car move as she continued to gaze up on Chloe's determined face staring ahead into the road. Wherever they go, as long as Chloe was there, Max would be happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Max felt a big gust of wind, and wondered what it could be. She smelled salt water, like she smelled when she was on the cliff with the lighthouse. She opened her eyes and her heart sank.

There she was standing on that cliff overlooking Arcadia Bay as the tornado made quick work of the town. Chloe! She needed to find Chloe! She felt her phone buzz. She took the phone out of her pocket and read Chloe's frantic texts,

 **MAX WHERE ARE YOU?**

 **THE TORNADO IS COMING**

 **MAX PLEASE RESPOND**

 **I'M STUCK AT MY HOUSE**

How could this be? Max already lived through this ordeal, but with Chloe. Before she could respond to her texts, a strong gust of wind blew the phone out of her hand, into the unrelenting waters below. Max wanted to rewind all this, but how could she? She lifted up her hands and focused, trying to rewind before the tornado, maybe rewind an hour at least so she could at least warn Chloe. But as she tried, her head felt a sharp pain as she saw reality becoming blotchy. She couldn't rewind.

Then she heard a metallic creaking sound that is sure to make anyone cringe. As she looked up she saw a part of the lighthouse fall on her.

Then she jolted back to reality, back to the truck, back to the weed smell and the familiar sound of the rumble of the truck engine. Her eyes were soaked and she began to bawl as she realized it was all a nightmare.

"Max! What's wrong?"

When Max heard the sweet sound of Chloe's voice, she embraced Chloe and cried on her soft chest, putting her head on top of the bullet necklace.

"Chloe, it was the worst nightmare ever. There was the tornado again and you weren't  
there and you were texting me and I felt so hopeless!"

Max felt Chloe's hand cup the back of her head, holding her head to her chest as she continued to drive the truck with one hand.

"It's alright Max, after an incident like that I would have hella nightmares too. But  
remember Max, I will always be by your side no matter what."

"I know Chloe, I know."

Max slowly lifted her head off Chloe's chest as she looked into the bluenette's eyes. Always so powerful, so determined. Oh my dog, how she wished she was like that, always so unphased by the world, unlike her dorky introverted self.

Max unraveled her earbuds and plugged it into her phone. She placed the earbuds in her ears and looked through her songs. _To All of You_ by Syd Matters. Her favorite song.

As she turned up the music in her earbuds, she looked out the window, the sun starting to set. As she listened to the music she was reminded of the day she discovered her powers, when she was walking to the bathroom after Jefferson's class. This was the exact song she listened to, and instead of being happy like she normally would be when listening to this song, she felt pained by the memories associated with it. But at the same time, the music was too soothing to stop.

 _To all of you_  
 _American girls, it's sad to_  
 _Imagine a world without you_  
 _American girls I'd like to_  
 _Be part of the world around you_  
 _Driving a car by the seaside…_

She listened to the music, looking out at the vast sea, at the beautiful sunset, and drifted to sleep again…

Then Max heard Chloe's soft voice as she began to wake up.

"Max, Maxi-pad, wake up. I sure hope you didn't have another nightmare."

Max opened her eyes as sunlight shone through the truck windows, birds chirping in the distance. Where were they? Max gazed up at Chloe's sapphire eyes, which looked more tired than usual. Chloe's eyes were half open, and she had bags under her eyes. _Wowzers, Chloe drove straight through the night without sleeping._

"Finally you're awake. We're here," Chloe said as she motioned her arms to look out the  
window.

Max got up and looked out the truck window. She saw a decent looking motel, _Shooting Stars Motel_. Are you cereal? What kinda name is that?

"We're staying here? How are we going to afford this?"

The bluenette smiled and said, "I still got $4000 left from the money we got from  
Shitwell"

Max smiled back and replied "You mean stole?"

"Whatever hippie, Blackwell doesn't need it now, most of the town evacuated for

reconstruction. Man I just hope mom evacuated too."

Max heard Chloe pause, no doubt thinking about Joyce. But then she continued to talk, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Plus I also took my step—father's credit card when I still hated him, so I'll still have  
some extra funds."

Max knew that it was still hard for Chloe to call David her stepfather, and every time she would pause or stutter. It was even worse when she thought about Joyce.

"Where did you drive?"

"I just drove instate, east of Arcadia Bay"

"Anyways, do you think the motel has breakfast? I'm starving?"

"Im hella hungry too, and hella tired."

After checking in to the motel they both went up to the small room and flicked on the lights. It was clean and surprisingly well kept. There was a queen size bed in the middle of the room, with clean white sheets, flanked by two wooden ornate nightstands. On each nightstand was a lamp and an alarm clock. In front of the bed was a small TV, which was pretty good quality for a motel. There was also a small closet near the door, and a bathroom paved with tile, as opposed to the carpeted floor of the room. At the end of the room was a large window, looking into the town and woods of the small suburban area.

"Wowzers this place is pretty cool"

"Yeah come on hippie let's chill out," Chloe said as she unpacked her small duffle bag.

"When you were sleeping I drove to a small outlet and got some pretty sick clothes. I  
think you would like these."

Chloe revealed her stash of clothes, with a small blue sweater for Max, along with three regular T-shirts,two U-neck T-shirts, and two pairs of jeans. The three T-shirts had a decal of a deer on one, a moose on another, and a porcupine on the last one. The two U-neck T-shirts had a fire decal on one, and a decal of a camera on the other. _Wowzers Chloe does know my fashion sense_.

"Chloe thanks for these clothes they're so cool."

"Hey I don't agree with your fashion sense but I know how my Maxi-pad is"

"Pshh I have a better fashion sense than you, Price," she teased.

"Anyways Max, i'm going to take a shower and change, i'm hella sweaty"

Max went to lie down on the cool surface of the bed, looking up at the beige ceiling for a few minutes. She thought about her relationship with Chloe. _That day when I kissed Chloe, did she think it was real or a joke? Ugh Max why do you have to be so dorky. I mean i'd still choose Chloe over Warren anyday, even though Warren is the coolest and dorkiest guy-friend ever. I want Chloe to be more than a best friend, but isn't she straight?_

As she finished her thought, Chloe walked out of the bathroom with a new getup, a T-shirt with a decal of a middle finger on it _Obviously Chloe would wear something like that_ , and a new pair of ripped jeans. This time, Chloe no longer had that beanie on, and Max saw the top of her head, where new brown hair was growing. Max couldn't help but think about how cute she looked without her beanie. She looked more optimistic and refreshed than before.

"Hey Caufield you gonna shower? You still smell like seawater"

"At least I don't smell like weed, Price," she replied with a giggle, even though she loved  
that classic Chloe smell.

With that conversation Max realized she did smell a little, and needed to shower. She stepped into the bathroom, which was still steamy from Chloe's shower. She took off her grey sweater and undressed from her T-shirt and jeans, and stepped into the shower. She turned on the water, which quickly warmed her up. Max did always think a lot when she showered, and so she continued her train of thought on Chloe. _Before this week I would think that Chloe and I were just best friends, but the experiences we had together were indescribable. After all I been through to save her, I feel that we are more than just friends. Oh my dog Max why are you overthinking this? I'm pretty sure Chloe is straight. She did say that Jefferson was hot right? Max shivered at the thought of Jefferson. But after what happened yesterday on the cliff, I felt that we were meant to be together._

Max shut off the water and quickly put on underwear, a new pair of jeans, the U-neck T-shirt with a camera decal on it, and her new blue sweater. She looked in the mirror _Max, why do you always look so geeky?_

She stepped out into the cool motel room again, seeing Chloe sprawled on the bed looking up at the ceiling. Chloe glanced at Max.

"Finally Maxaroni, let's go grab some breakfast!"

"Lets just chill out here for a second."

Max went over and plopped up on the bed next to Chloe, both of them looking up at the ceiling.


	3. Chapter 3

**BTW, I've had some questions regarding why Max thinks that Chloe is straight. First off, in the save Chloe ending, they never really kissed passionately (since the bedroom kiss could've been interpreted as a mere dare) and Chloe never really stated that she loved Max romantically. Therefore the default assumption would be that Chloe is straight. Sure Chloe mentioned how she loved Rachel and stuff, but it wasn't really clear that it was a romantic relationship. Also, considering that they essentially spent their whole childhood together as FRIENDS, I would think that Max would believe that Chloe was straight, or at least not into her romantically.**

The two girls stared up at the ceiling, silent, not knowing what to say. Max was still contemplating her relationship with Chloe, not knowing if she should tell her. _Max, this is your chance to tell Chloe how you feel._ Before she could start, Chloe interrupted.

"Ok Mad Max, you happy that we chilled out for awhile? Let's go get breakfast. I'm hella  
starving"

"Chloe, I was meaning to tell you something…"

"What is it? You haven't been this nervous since you broke my mom's vase," she  
smiled.

"Price, this is serious," Max said as her solemn eyes looked at Chloe's.

"Damn, I see, ok what is it?"

Max found it hard to muster up courage to tell her blue angel how she really felt. She felt a big knot in her stomach and felt her throat dry up. She didn't know how to tell Chloe, so she just bluntly said those three cliche words.

"I love you."

Then seconds of agonizing silence followed, as Max felt her heart nearly pound out of her chest. _Oh crap, what if I messed up. I knew she didn't feel the same way._ That moment of silence was so torturous as she waited for the bluenette's reply.

Then Chloe's solemn expression bent into a smirk.

"I knew it Caufield, I knew you had a thing for bad girls. I'm just surprised it took you so  
long to say it."

The moment she said this, Max felt a burden lift off of her chest as she glanced back at her angel, smiling and blushing. When Chloe's eyes met with her's, she looked back up at the ceiling, trying to avoid anymore eye contact.

"You're so cute when you blush Maxi-pad"

These words only made Max blush more, making her giggle as well.

"Seriously Caufield, that's what you got me all worried for? I thought you knew we were  
a thing after that day when we… you know… kissed"

That day was still fresh in Max's mind, after they woke up from the day before, sneaking into Blackwell. She remembered how sudden it was, how Chloe dared her to kiss her. But after she kissed Chloe, she was confused, not knowing if Chloe wanted it, if it was even genuine. But now that Chloe said she felt the same way, Max felt the butterflies leave her stomach, and she felt so giddy that she didn't know what to say.

"C-Chloe, I just never knew you felt that way. S-So are we a-a thing now? I mean–"

With this, her sentence was interrupted by a warm sensation on her lips, and she felt hands caress her face, and the familiar smell of weed washed over her. The kiss tasted a little like alcohol, but was distinctly Chloe. As Chloe held her face with one hand, the other hand wrapped around her slim waist, pulling Max closer to the bluenette. Max closed her eyes and melted into the grasp of the taller and stronger girl, forgetting all her problems as she put her own arms around the seam of the Chloe's ripped jeans, trying to match the strength of her pull with her own.

After that kiss, Max hardly knew what to say. "W-Wow Chloe, that was…great."

"Great? That was hella hot Max," she replied with a smile.

Max just blushed, she never kissed anyone, not to mention no one ever said that her kisses were hot.

"Chloe, I love you."

"Me too SuperMax. Now, what do you say we goto the local diner?"

"Sounds great."


	4. Chapter 4

As Max and Chloe stepped out the motel room, Max felt Chloe pull her into her arms. They walked towards the parking lot, with Chloe's arms wrapped around Max's waist, and Max's arm on Chloe's shoulder. This was a great feeling, knowing that Chloe was hers, officially hers.

Chloe pulled out her car keys and unlocked her truck, and the two girls got in. After Chloe started the car, and the familiar rumbling sound of the truck started. Chloe looked at Max with a smile, which made Max smile back too.

"Let's head off to the local diner. We might still be able to grab breakfast if we are not  
too late."

"Well if you're crappy ride can go that fast," Max replied with a smirk.

"Ok Caufield, maybe you'd like to walk instead?" Chloe retorted playfully.

Max smiled back, as Chloe began to drive into town. As they passed through town and many stores, Max saw that many of them were closed as a result of the tornado. There were signs that read _Closed for Tornado_ or _Closed for the Storm_.

"Damn Max, this town is pretty quiet, probably a result of that storm"

"Yeah, but at least this place looks better than Arcadia Bay."

The structures in the town were intact, but there were giant puddles everywhere and the buildings were still visibly wet from the storm. Every now and then, there would be broken phone booths or knocked over newspaper stands. Finally, they arrived at a small diner, about ¾ the size of Two Whales.

When they went inside the diner, Max noticed the lack of business it had, only serving two other people sitting at a table near the door.

The man behind the counter looked at the two girls, "What can I do fer ya two today?"

His voice was so gruff, but he was so kind and welcoming. _The exact opposite of Jefferson._

Chloe ordered first, "You got any bacon and eggs?"

"No ma'am we only got lunch r'now. You two shulda came before twelve."

"Ok, then i'll get a hamburger then. What about you Max?"

"I'll have a burger too"

"Alrighty you two jus wait here den"

The two girls sat at the counter. Then Max's phone buzzed. It was a text from Warren.

 **-Heyy Max, you alright? Sorry I didn't get to text you after the storm.**

 _Does this mean that Warren and the others are safe?_

"Hey Max, what's going on?"

"Chloe, you're not gonna believe this but Warren just texted me. I think that he and Joyce  
are ok."

"No fucking way, are you serious?"

"Hold on i'm gonna text him back"

 **Hey, is Joyce alright? What happened during the storm?**

 **-Yeah i'm fine thanks for asking :(**

 **Oh yea my bad _**

 **-No problem ;) We just held out at two whales and survived off canned food until we were evacuated from the building and the debris blocking the entrances. Joyce is fine, but she lost her phone.**

 **Thanks Warren i'll see if I can check back to you sometime**

"Geez Max, I see you're still using so many emojis," Chloe flashed a quick smile at Max,  
nudging her on the arm a little.

"You just don't like it cuz you're too old," Max replied with her own nudge and  
smile.

"So is mom alright?"

"Yes, Warren said that they just evacuated safely."

"Thank god. Speaking of Warren, are you still going to watch that ape movie with him?"

"Aww Chloe, are you getting jealous?" Max liked it when she teased her, knowing that  
Chloe can get a little jealous at times.

"Pshh shut up Caufield, I don't get jealous of anyone. I was just wondering that if you  
hadn't yet, we can go watch it at the local cinema if it's open."

"Ok Chloe, anything to make you less jealous," she teased.

"It's a date then."

 _Wowzers Max, your first date. I can't believe that it would be at the movies watching a shitty ape movie. But i'd do anything with Chloe._

"A date."

The man walked up to the counter, carrying two plates with a large hamburger on each one.

"I got yer hamburgers here."

After they ate and paid, the two girls went outside to the parking lot, as it started to get cloudy and rain.

"Shit, we better get going Max, or else we'll get hella soaked."

"It was so sunny this morning though. Talk about bad luck"

They got into the truck and started to drive back to the motel.

As they drove, Max looked out the window at the empty streets that whizzed by in the rain. She heard the rumble of the truck drowned out by the heavy pitter patter of the rain. This rain was almost as heavy as the rain before the storm, and this made her nervous. _Shit, I hope this weather isn't a bad omen. Nature is probably still angry at me for fucking around with time._

The truck pulled into the motel parking lot, and they went back to their motel room.

"Yo I call dibs shower first."

"No fair, you got to go first last time."

"Come on, unless you wanna shower… together."

Max blushed, "W-what?"

"Just kidding Maxi-pad, but you know you want to."

"Whatever, Price."

 _Heh, Chloe is so crazy sometimes. Now that we are together though, she might act even crazier._

Chloe went into the bathroom, and Max heard the water turn on and heard Chloe shriek and yell, "FUCK THIS WATER IS HELLA COLD." Max just chuckled a little.

 **BzZzZzZz**

Max looked at her phone. _Dammit, mom's calling. I hope she's not worried. I guess I have to answer this._

"Sweety are you ok? We saw on the news that an EF-5 tornado hit Arcadia Bay and parts  
of Oregon. Are you hurt?"

"Yes, i'm fine mom."

"Oh thank goodness, your dad was worried about you too."

"Tell pop i'm fine."

"Just call us if you need anything. Please visit us when you have time."

"Sure thing mom. I love you."

"Me too."

Max hung up the phone and laid down on the bed. Chloe got out of the shower, wearing a tank top and a pair of ripped jeans.

"Hey Chloe, I was thinking that we should visit my place at Seattle, considering that  
School may be closed for at least a month for repair. What do you think?"

"Sure, anything for my SuperMax. Plus I haven't seen Ryan or Vanessa in a long time."

"Yeah, I guess they might be surprised by how you turned out. They might think i'm  
hanging out with bad crowds."

"Relax Maxi-pad, i'm a good bad influence on you," she smiled.

"Yeah right, you got kicked out of Blackwell, you smoke pot, and you shoot guns."

"You got me there," she laughed. "Then why do you still stay with me?"

"I love you Chloe, you know that."

Chloe grabbed Max's hand, and they looked at each other in the eyes as they laid down. Chloe's slightly bloodshot blue eyes were so beautiful in the dimly lit room.

"Chlo, we should get some sleep."

"Well there's only one bed, Max."

"It's no big deal Chloe, I've slept at your place before."

Chloe put her arms around the back of Max, and pulled her closer to her chest. Max laid her head down below Chloe's neck, on her small breasts. She felt Chloe's rhythmic breathing. It was so soothing that she fell asleep. This time, she slept soundly for the first time since the week began.


	5. Chapter 5

**Guys, sorry I didn't post in a while. I kept replaying LiS Before the Storm, and school is starting for me. So I will have less time to post. Btw I might add some supernatural stuff :)**

 _ **Beep Beep Beep Beep**_

 _Shit, the alarm clock is so annoying._ Max reached over and felt around the alarm clock, pressing every button until it went back to sleep mode. She turned around and looked at Chloe, her arms still on top of Max's stomach. _I guess Chloe is still asleep. I'll try not to wake her up too abruptly._

"Chlo, wake up. Wake up sleepyhead," she whispered while holding Chloe's hand.

"Ughh what are you my mom? I was just having a good dream."

"About what? Weed?"

"No, about you," she teased.

"Shut up," she joked back.

"What? Can't a girl have a dream of her girlfriend?"

That word was still new to Max, as she forgot about her new relationship with Chloe.

"Don't you wanna go see that ape movie?"

"Ok Max, let me… wake and bake first."

"Seriously Chloe? Keep it down or we can get kicked out from this motel." Max loved  
Chloe's rebellious nature but sometimes she feels like she'd get her in trouble.

Max looked opened the white drapes on the windows and looked outside. _Still dark outside. The stars are so beautiful today, and look at that full moon._ Max looked at the hotel parking lot. A holographic deer? _What the fuck? I thought this supernatural shit was over._ The deer was a bad sign. She had seen the same deer when they were at the junkyard for the first time, running over the burial site of Rachel, and later on when they dug up the body. It tried to tell Max something. She had seen it before in her vision of the tornado too, trying to warn her of the storm. Now the deer was standing next to Chloe's beaten up truck, looking at Max. _What does this mean? Maybe i'm just seeing things or overreacting._

Then Max felt two hands by her waist.

"Hey Maxi-Pad, what are you thinking about?"

Max stared at Chloe's beautiful blue eyes. "Chloe, I feel like something bad might  
happen today. I keep seeing these visions of a deer."

"It's alright Max, I'll always be with you. I won't let anything happen to you, to us."

The two girls walked outside, towards the beat up truck. The holographic deer that Max saw was gone. _Maybe i'm just seeing things_.

Under the moonlight, Chloe's truck looked amazing. The truck had a backstory that Chloe recently told her. She found it in a junkyard, after an argument with Rachel. To Chloe, the truck represented freedom to go anywhere and do anything she wanted. To Max, it represented comfort, knowing that it is the first place where she reunited with Chloe, and knowing that with the truck, she could be by Chloe's side anywhere.

The dents were prominent under the moonlight glare, and each one of them gave the truck character. Many of the dents on the truck were a result of Chloe's rage, when she thought she lost Rachel on the day she first found that truck. But now, the dents give a story to the truck, they give Chloe memories of Rachel, and to Max, memories of Chloe.

The two girls got in the truck, and Chloe turned up the radio, and country music started playing.

Chloe quickly turned to Max. "So, let's head off to the ape movie."

Max smiled back at Chloe. She was happy about her "date" with Chloe, but she felt strangely dreadful as she looked out at the dimly lit streets of the small town.

When they arrived at the cinema, they went up the the ticket booths. Out of the four booths, only one was occupied by a cashier. They purchased two tickets for the ape movie and went into the theater. _Wowzers, this place is practically empty._ They went into a large room, and saw the screen playing some advertisements. The room was probably only one tenth full, so the two girls practically had a few chair sections to themselves. They went up to the last row and sat down.

Chloe put her arms around Max as the movie started. Then Chloe looked at Max with a  
curious and playful look. "I've been thinking. Did you have feelings for Warren?"

"Chloe, you know it's not like that. We were just friends. Plus he is a little too clingy, but  
he is a cool guy."

"Just teasing Max, I know that a cute girl like you is way out of his league."

Max's face grew pink as she blushed. Whenever Max felt giddy or when she got compliments she would blush.

"Wow Max, you're hella blushing. You remind me of a camera, cuz everytime I look at  
you I smile."

"Thanks Chloe, but you really need better pick up lines. By the way, Roses are red, I have  
a crush, whenever I'm around you, all I do is blush."

"Damn Max, you're a poet. I can't compete with that."

Max smiled at Chloe, and she smiled back. Max leaned her head on Chloe's shoulder as the movie progressed. The movie was about intelligent apes taking over a local city, and it was a pretty bad movie. But they had fun just making fun of the funny voice acting or the plot holes in the story, or the terrible CGI. But at the end of the day, just being with Chloe made Max happy.

After the movie, they walked outside, with the full moon still up ahead. But Max felt dizzy and her head was hurting. _Fuck, what is this?_ She tried to walk forward but started stumbling. She heard Chloe's worried voice, but it was a faint voice in the background. All she could hear was her head throbbing. Her arm was left arm was numb and she couldn't keep a straight face. The world was whirling around her as she heard Chloe's cries for help, and felt two arms hold her as she started to fall.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, this might be a bit short but I will have more parts coming soon! :D**

Max blacked out, but was awoken when she felt a small breeze on her skin and the smell of a fresh mowed lawn, but she stood in the middle of darkness mixed with tints of orange and red. Max's vision became bloodshot as her vision blurred and became blotty, like when she would rewind too much. As she squinted through the pain in her head, Max collapsed on her knees and she held the dark ground just trying to get up. Then as she touched the floor, she noticed that the floor started "forming" as it became grey and textured like a concrete floor. _What's going on?_ Then as she looked up she saw the environment around her form, with trees materializing from the darkness with their beautiful golden-red autumn leaves. Then she saw the grass form around the concrete path she was standing on, freshly cut. Then a small house formed in front of her, slowly by slowly, window by window. It started looking familiar.

 _Chloe's house._ _How can this be? I thought the tornado wiped it out._

"Max, come here kiddo. I need to talk with you."

Max quickly swiveled her head to the right. _Dad? What are you doing here?_ She saw the smiling face of her father, who looked… younger than she remembered. He had a medium sized beard and thick bushy eyebrows that Max grew to love even though it would tickle when he kissed her on the head. She always loved her father's presence but this as such as shock to her that she didn't know how to react.

"P-Pop what are you doing here?"

"Come on kiddo don't act like you didn't beg me to come with you to Chloe's house. You  
were the one who asked to see Chloe one last time. Now come on I gotta talk with you."

 _See Chloe one last time? Is this when I left for Seattle?_ Max walked over to her smiling father. _This is so surreal. Is it another one of my time sequences?_ Max looked behind her father and saw the holographic deer. _What? Why do I keep seeing that deer?_

"What are you looking at Max? Are you OK?"

"Pop, I keep seeing a deer. I think it's trying to tell me something."

"Max, I know it's hard to leave Chloe, but I worry for you. I heard that depression and  
anxiety can cause hallucinations."

"Nevermind pop, I guess i'm still a little groggy that's all." Max didn't want to argue  
with his father. He couldn't see the deer. No one could but her.

"Max, before you go in and tell her, you need to expect her to be angry or upset. It's hard hearing a  
best friend tell you that she's going to leave for years without any prior notice. I just want  
you to be ready." Max's father placed her arms around Max's shoulder and bent down,  
hugging her and kissing her on the forehead, tickling her with his beard hair. "Now go  
kiddo."

Max turned towards the front door, walking down the cement path, up the stairs and knocked on the door. She waited there for what seemed like forever. Max started to sweat a lot and started to feel her heart sink and her chest press into her lungs. Then the door started to open as she was greeted with a younger-looking Joyce.

"Max, what brings you here today? Chloe's upstairs if you want to talk with her."

"Hey Joyce, how's Chloe dealing with the accident?"

"Chloe, well, she's having a rough time with it but she always did say that she was glad  
to have you. I think you need to talk to her instead of me always nagging at her," Joyce  
smiled. "Now why don't you come on in, I'll fix you up some lunch."

"No it's alright Joyce, it's going to be quick. I just need to tell Chloe something."

"Ok Max if you get hungry just give me a holler."

"Thanks Joyce you always show the most hospitality."

Max looked up the stairs as she approached them. She's been on these stairs too many times that she knew that there were 12 steps, and that the eighth one had a small crack on it. She has been on these stairs when she hung out with Chloe,…. when she went to get morphine for Chloe, and walking up the stairs were just as natural as walking up her own. This week in particular she grew an emotional bond to Chloe's house. She loved that this was Chloe's cocoon where she smoked weed in times of stress, where she cried for Rachel, where they hung out after sneaking into Blackwell, where they… kissed for the first time. As Max approached Chloe's door, she tried to hold back her tears. Why was she here? Why did the deer bring her to this weird time sequence?

After the week with Chloe, Max's guilt for this day haunted her, knowing that she caused her best friend, her girlfriend, so much agony and emotional pain. This feeling haunted her, day and night, as the week approached the storm, and she never felt solace for her guilt. But is that why she was here now? To deal with this problem? Is this why the deer brought me here? _Just like the deer led me to Rachel's body or to the lighthouse, it's leading me to this day. It always wanted me to prepare Chloe for pain. It knew I cared about her and it would try to help me comfort her like that day in the junkyard or that last day on the lighthouse cliff during the storm._ Max slowly opened the door and saw Chloe sitting on her bed, as her face gleamed up at Max.


	7. Chapter 7

**Guys, the title will start making sense later in the story.**

 **Sorry for another short part but I needed to break this part out seperately.**

Max's eyes locked onto Chloe, a younger but somewhat more mature Chloe than the one she knows and loves.

"Oh hey Max! I didn't expect you today!" She ran up and hugged Max embracing her with her warmth, almost knocking her over. Max missed this. She missed the innocence and happiness of the old Chloe, the one she left behind when she went to Seattle. But after all, how can Chloe be so happy and innocent anymore if she lost both her dad and Rachel?

Max couldn't hold back the tears as she knew what she had to do. She felt the blood rush up to her face as her eyes became watery with tears. A liquid film formed over her eyes as her vision became blurry with tears. She clenched her teeth as she started to feel angry. Angry at herself, at her own selfishness. How could she not realize how much Chloe needed her? How could she just leave like that?

Chloe released Max from her hug and looked at her face with worried eyes.  
"Max, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Chloe put her hand up to Max's face and  
then grabbed both of her hands.

Max's voice choked and quivered while she said this, "Chloe, I hate to break it to you at  
this time, but I will be leaving for Seattle soon. I'm so sorry."

"Max, for how long? A month at most right?"

"Chloe, I'm going to be in school in Seattle."

Chloe's happy eyes darted down as she realized what was about to happen.  
"No Max, please don't leave me. You know that I need you…" Chloe's beautiful blue  
eyes began to fill with tears as she grasped Max's hands tighter.

Max wanted to tell Chloe everything about the future events, but she knew she couldn't. That is the pain of having time travel powers. Sometimes keeping secrets from loved ones is necessary no matter how painful.

The two girls looked at each other in the eyes as the birds outside the room chirped, and the cool autumn breeze blew into the room. They just stood there, holding their hands together, trying to savor this last moment of friendship, of love. Oh how Max wanted to tell Chloe how she felt about her, her true feelings towards her childhood friend. But she knew she couldn't, not now.

Then Chloe's soft voice broke the silence. "Max, don't you forget about me."

Max had no control over the future, and she knew what was going to happen, "Chloe, no matter what happens, no matter how much you might think I forgot you…" Max embraced Chloe in a warm hug, holding her tightly. "No matter how much you might think so, I will never forget about you."

As the two girls stayed interlocked in this magical hug, Max felt the walls around her warp as the room and Chloe disappeared. _NO NO NO NO!_ Max wasn't done yet, and she felt her blood boil as she felt angry that her last moments with Chloe was ripped from her. She didn't have enough time to tell Chloe more, to assure her that she loved her. Max sat in the darkness as everything around her began to fade. And she wept. She wept for what felt like forever…


	8. Chapter 8

**Leave a Review! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Any questions will be explained. I have a long weekend off from school so i'm trying to pump out more chapters.**

* * *

Max's cries were drowned out in the dark void between the past and the present, as if she was crying into a pillow. Then her vision blurred and blotchy red spots grew in the darkness and the present started to materialize as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Max, Max…" she heard Chloe's familiar voice again and again, calling out for her.

Max felt so tired and felt a dull pain in her head. She found it hard to open her eyes due to the brightness of the room. The white walls reminded her of the Dark Room but she felt comforted by Chloe's voice. Slowly she forced her eyes to open and she saw Chloe's pale worried face over her head, with her blue hair dangling down just over Max's face. She saw that she was on a hospital bed and she saw light blue curtains surrounding her bed, giving her and Chloe some privacy. Chloe's worried expression shifted to relief and her solemn countenance bent into a smile.

Max slowly sat up as she felt the blood rush to her head. Before Max could say anything, Chloe plunged her lips onto Max's, her pale face making contact with the freckled girl's face. This moment was magical, the first happy moment she felt since she had the dream. _But it wasn't a dream though right? I felt the world around me, it actually happened. Did I go back in time when I blacked out?_ It wasn't like the dream she had when she blacked out on the beach, she felt genuine emotions when she talked with Chloe, she felt the autumn breeze, and felt Chloe's hands and heard her sweet voice. Max closed her eyes and melted into Chloe's open arms as the kiss went on seemingly forever.

Chloe's soft lips lifted off of Max's as she leaned back, her pale face still a few centimeters from Max's. Chloe didn't smell much like weed anymore, probably because she couldn't find a dealer after the storm. She smelled good though, like cologne and deodorant.

"Max… you're ok…" she whispered. "I'm hella glad to see you"

Max heard the pitter patter of the rain hitting the hospital window.

"Chlo, I'm happy to see you too." Of course Max would be happy, she saw that Chloe was so happy, a great sight after Max saw Chloe so sad when she went on her time trip.

"Max, I'm worried for you. The doctor said you had a stroke but he said he didn't know what caused it. Max, when you messed with time you had nosebleeds and now you had a stroke. Is it all related?"

"Chloe, I think did go back in time. I went back to the day when I left for Seattle, when I last saw you. I also saw the deer that was at the junkyard and lighthouse."

Chloe just stared at Max, as if she was thinking hard about something.

"I remember that day Max, when you told me you would never forget me..." Chloe's beautiful blue eyes interlocked with Max's. "I always trusted you too, and I'm glad I did. But after 5 years I don't think I would've expected any of this to happen." Chloe darted her eyes away from Max as she changed the subject. "What does it all mean Max?"

"I think the deer wanted me to be with you when we found Rachel and when we were on the lighthouse looking over the storm. I think it wanted me to be with you on that day too, the day I left for Seattle. Those days were the important ones we spent together." Max stopped to look at Chloe, trying to see if Chloe thought that she was crazy. "With all this, I know it might sound strange but I think we were meant to be together, as if the universe or whatever that deer is, is watching over us."

"Max…." Chloe held tightly onto Max's hands. "I believe you."

They stared deep into each other's eyes, until Chloe's determined eyes darted down and grew sadder.

"Chloe, what happened to me when I blacked out?"

"After we came out of the theater, you just collapsed. I called 911 and they rushed you here. The doctor said you had a massive stroke..." Chloe's voice cracked as she tried to hide her discomfort. Max embraced Chloe, as the bluenette laid her face on Max's small shoulder. "I thought you might not make it..." With this, she saw tears roll down Chloe's cheek.

Max cupped Chloe's face with her hands. "Chlo, I love you. I won't ever leave you. I am your partner in crime right?" she retorted, trying to cheer up her blue angel.

"Only if I'm your partner in time," she smiled.

Max smiled back, as she gave Chloe a small kiss.

Then Chloe looked out the window, much like a young child would look outside a window on a rainy day, contemplating what he would do. Chloe just stared blankly into the downpour outside the hospital.

"Max, I want to run away. Like I wanted to with Rachel."

"After all that has happened I won't blame you for wanting to run away."

"Sometimes… I feel like I have no reason to stay."

"So what's stopping you Chloe?"

"I guess it's really up to you Caufield. What do you say?"

Max didn't know how to respond. She never ran away with anyone before but then again what choice did she really have? Blackwell and Chloe's house are destroyed and she and Chloe are living like tramps anyways. Max loved Chloe, and she wanted what she wanted, as long as they were together.

Max took a deep breath. "Ok."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I've been gone, but I'm back :]**

* * *

The two girls walked outside the hospital. The downpour was so strong that there was at least half an inch of rain outside. The sky was so dark and cloudy, and their vision was so blurred with rain that it was hard to see the cars in the parking lot. The rain was so loud too, that both girls had to yell to even understand each other. Max noticed Chloe standing under the awning of the hospital, staring into the abyss of rain.

She rummaged through her bag to take out her polaroid to take a picture of Chloe. She shook it a few times allowing it to develop. No matter how much she enjoyed photography, she was no longer in the mood for it anymore, but she still found solace in photographing more depressing images. Plus, Chloe was so beautiful, as if she was made for a camera, a sharp contrast with her dorky self. She was always so lively too, not shy like her. Even in the depressing rainy weather, Chloe managed to exude a vibrant aura that made Max happy.

"Max, let's run to my truck." Chloe took off her leather jacket and covered Max's head and back.

"Thanks Chloe." Max loved Chloe. Some might think that Chloe is selfish and destructive, but Max knew that Chloe was loving and kind, behind her rebellious facade.

"Of course Max, I won't want my girl to get a cold."

 _My girl_. Max thought about those words. Max was comforted knowing that Chloe wanted her as much as she wanted Chloe. She always thought that she would end up with some dorky boy like Warren, not a punk rock girl like Chloe. She did like Warren but he always just a friend to her. Plus, how can anyone's personality compare to Chloe's.

The two girls dashed towards the truck in the parking lot, as Chloe wrapped her arms around Max. They hopped into the truck, and Chloe attempted to start up the truck. Max heard the pitter patter of the rain on the roof of the old rusty vehicle, mixed with the rumble of the truck.

Chloe turned on her truck's old CD player, and played one of her indie music tracks.

Chloe looked at Max and smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're ok."

"Chloe, with everything happening I don't know what I'm going to do anymore."

"Max, are you alright ?"

"I thought that last week's craziness would've ended, but here I am still suffering from these visions and blackouts."

Chloe looked at Max, thinking about what to say. Max heard the music from the player, the soothing guitar instrumental blending perfectly with the rhythmic noises of the rain.

"Let's just drive away from this hell Max. Let's just run away and forget about this," she said, as she leaned in to kiss Max.

The blue haired girl gently pulled Max's head and pressed her lips against hers. Max closed her eyes as the passionate kiss continued. Chloe's kisses were Max's kryptonite. No matter how much Chloe kissed Max, she would never be immune to it's effects. All her troubles and worries went away. She was worried about her visions and blackouts but she knew that she needed to spend more time with Chloe. After all, isn't that what the universe was pointing to? Isn't that what the deer was leading her to? Max felt that all these visions were trying to tell her to be there with Chloe, whether it was in the junkyard, lighthouse, or even in the past. Max knew that she and Chloe were meant to be together.

Now Chloe pulled her head away from Max, and smiled. "Sorry Super Max, no more for you you."

"Hey no fair I wasn't done yet," Max joked.

She laid her head down on Chloe's shoulders, feeling the rumble of the truck through her shoulders. Chloe circulated her fingers through Max's hair, making her brunette girlfriend laugh. Chloe loved to play around with Max. It kinda reminded her of when they were younger, but this time they're more than just friends.


	10. Chapter 10

**Too much schoool work and stress :(**

 **Ill try to post as often as I can though :)**

* * *

It was so grueling for Max to sit inside a truck for two hours, watching nothing but the Oregon landscape pass by. Every now and then the two girls would get out the truck and stop to stretch, or to stop at a rest stop. They've been traveling north, into Washington. Maybe there they would be able to run away, and start a new life. Or maybe they would travel east, exploring the great frontiers of Montana or Idaho.

This was all new to Chloe, who wasn't a world traveler, or even a country traveler. She had never been outside Oregon, only ever traveling as north as Portland. She never really told Max, who, herself have traveled to Seattle, New York City, and heck even to Texas. Besides, Chloe wasn't the traveling type. She always told herself that she wanted to run away, not sightsee. At least that was her mentality with Rachel, not Max. With Max, she learned to appreciate the small things in life, like strolling around in nature, like movies, like vintage cameras, or even posing for your cute geek girlfriend to take a picture of you eating a massive hamburger. But she liked this change in pace, never always worried about her family life or about Rachel. Sure, Chloe was still torn about what happened to Rachel, but Max filled that void that she left.

They arrived at a rest stop that housed a small family owned restaurant and a run-down gas shop, adjacent to a nature trail. This trail led into a small coniferous forest, and was much more scenic than the ones back in Arcadia Bay, which meant more birds, flora, and wildlife. This was good for Max, who recently rediscovered her passion for photography. She would beg her blue haired girlfriend to stop every now and then so she could snap a picture of an old fashioned red brick house, or a small creek filled with shiny rocks. Chloe didn't mind though, after all, she loved to see Max happy.

The sun was setting at this time, and a beautiful orange glow filled the sky. The temperature was also getting frigid and the winds picked up, shaking the pine trees, and blowing pine needles everywhere. Chloe was trailing behind Max, who was running up to dead stumps and clusters of whatever flowers are left at this time of year.

Max sat down on a rock, motioning Chloe to sit by her, smiling up at her with her cute freckled face.

"Come on Chloe, check out these photos."

"Alright Caufield, but I don't think you want my opinion. I'm not exactly artistically gifted," Chloe remarked.

Chloe walked up to Max, and hugged her from behind, wrapping her arms over her shoulders and draping down her chest. "But… I did choose you, so you can say I have an eye for beauty."

Max blushed, and turned her head around to look at her girlfriend. Chloe planted a kiss on her lips, which made Max's face even more red.

"Thanks Chloe, but that is the worst pickup line ever."

"Shut up you know you love me, Supermax."

"Of course I do," Max smiled.

Max wasn't normally as cheerful as this, at least not during last week, or even the days following it. It was obvious that she was ecstatic over her new relationship with Chloe, but even deeper down, she wanted to be even more than just girlfriends.

Max took out her diary from her small passenger bag and laid out her photos. She asked Chloe for advice on what to put in her diary, but eventually they both came to a consensus that they needed to take a picture of something more spectacular.

Just as they said this, they noticed a large elk through some bushes.

"Chloe, look! This is my chance," she motioned to the elk.

"Ok Max, but be careful."

"I know Chloe, I don't want to abuse my rewind any more than I have to."

Chloe was still armed with Nathan's gun, so if shit hit the fan, she could drop the elk. But she never really killed an animal before, and didn't plan to anytime soon.

The two girls inches closer to the elk, and then Max snapped a picture of it. She shook the polaroid a little to let it develop.

"Wow Chlo, check this out."

Chloe leaned over to check out the picture, which perfectly captured the image of the elk and it's two feet long antlers. "Nice photo."

"Thanks Chloe."

"So now that you got your picture, what do you wanna do?"

"Let's just chill out here for a second. Come on, the sky is getting dark and the stars will be out soon."

Max grabbed Chloe's hand and led her to a small hill of brownish green grass. They laid down on the slight incline and looked up at the sky.

"Isn't this better than looking at a hotel ceiling?" Chloe asked.

"You can say that again"

Chloe turned over to Max, and put her legs around her.

Max turned and looked at Chloe as well. "Come on Chloe you gotta do more than that, I'm getting cold," she joked.

"Ok Caufield," she said as she pulled Max into her arms, lifting her and placing her over her own body, and holding her tightly on her chest. This elicited a small shriek from Max, which made Chloe laugh a little.

Max closed her eyes and just laid on top of her girlfriend, feeling her soft chest breathe and oscillate.

Chloe loved Max's warm body on top of her, a sharp contrast to the chilly breeze that was in the air. She ran her hand through Max's hair, eliciting more giggles from Max.

"Maybe I need to cut my hair short so you won't have anything to play with, Chloe," she teased.

"No can do, Maxipad. I'm never letting you go from my grasp. Besides you look cute in your hair," she replied.

Chloe proceeded to bring her hands to Max's ribs and tickled her, causing the young girl to squirm around on top of Chloe, giggling her ass off.

"Stop it Chloe, it tickles," she squealed, as Chloe continued to stroke her.

"Ok Max, but I'm still not letting you go."

Max pulled her head up a little and looked at Chloe, pressing her lips down on the bluenette. This surprised Chloe, since she was always the one instigating the kisses. Regardless, she squeezed her arms around Max, returning the passionate kiss, and bringing her tongue into Max's slightly opened mouth, causing the girl's mouth to grow even wider in shock, allowing her tongue to penetrate deeper into Max's geek-flavored mouth. But this shock quickly died as Max's returned the favor, bringing her tongue into Chloe's mouth, both tongues dancing around the other's.

As the kiss died down, Max slowly pulled her head away from Chloe's, with her mouth still slightly open from shock.

"Ch-chloe… that was.." Max stuttered.

"Hot?" Chloe interrupted. "I know you liked it Max." Chloe smiled up at Max and pecked her nose with a small kiss.

"It was … I never French kissed anyone, and i'm just a little surprised."

"Well i'm glad I was the first one to tame your virgin mouth," Chloe said triumphantly.

This caused Max to blush. But of course, she loved Chloe for her carefree attitude, which included her wit.

Chloe grabbed Max's hands, and the two girls continued to lay in the dirt and grass, gazing up at the newly-birthed stars in the sky. Chloe never thought she would enjoy looking up at the sky at balls of fire millions of lightyears away, but having a girlfriend can change you. Especially if you have a cute girlfriend who was into these kinds of thigs.

"The stars are so beautiful Chloe…"

"You are too Max."

Max smiled, "Thanks Chlo."

But before Chloe could respond, the wind picked up and blew through the forest, ruffling the hair of the girls and scattering dead leaves all over the two, before eliciting laughter from them both. They got up, and patted the dead leaves off of themselves, before heading back to the truck. As they approached the rusty vehicle, Chloe stopped Max.

"What is it Chloe?"

"Max. I just want to say… I want to be with you until forever ends." She reached inside her leather jacket, and pulled out a small black box.

"Chloe…"

She opened up the box and imbedded within the two cushioned pieces was a small golden ring with a diamond in it. It was Joyce's ring, a gift for Chloe when she would get married. But Chloe never thought she would ever use it. She always kept it in her drawer, telling herself that she'd pawn it off one day. But she never did.

Chloe kneeled down and asked, "Max, will you be my partner for life?"

Tears started to form in the brunette's eyes, as she put both her hands in front of her mouth, ecstatic and shocked about what she just heard. She ran over to Chloe, who stood up to catch Max in her arms. Tears rolled down Max's eyes. Tears of joy.

"Yes Chloe, I love you."

"I love you too Max."


	11. Chapter 11

**This fanfic may have spoilers for episode 2 of the prequel. I highly recommend playing it**

 **Enjoy! (Btw I loved episode 2)**

 **This chapter is meant to pivot to my next chapter, while incorporating a part of the ending of episode 2.**

* * *

She felt something press against her lips and felt a hand comb through her hair. She opened her eyes.

"Chloe…"

The blue haired girl was looking down at her, smiling like she always does. They were still in the truck, after they fell asleep yesterday, after Chloe….proposed to her.

"Wake up Caulfield," she whispered.

Max sat up and looked outside. Snow. It was snowing so much outside, turning the piles of autumn leaves into piles of pristine snow, and covering the pine trees with a blanket of beautiful whiteness.

Max opened the window, but a strong wind countered her, blowing into the truck. This forced Max to close up the window again and hug Chloe for warmth.

"Well Max, now that you are officially awake, where should we go? Washington? Seattle?"

Seattle. Max's home, her new home after Arcadia Bay. But she knew she couldn't go back there. At least not back to her parents, who she knew wouldn't accept whatever it was going on between her and Chloe. Maybe because it was not a straight relationship or maybe Chloe wasn't the ideal candidate for a spouse. She never really told Chloe this, since she hadn't really known if their relationship was...real. But she knew she had to now.

"Chloe, I need to tell you something."

"What is Caulfield?"

Sadness formed in young girl's eyes. "Chloe, do you know why I want to run away?"

"Max…" she gave Max a hug, holding the upset girl tight. "Max tell me."

"Chloe, I want to run away because I know my parents won't approve of this. Of our relationship. I can't live with them if it would mean hiding our...love."

"Yeah I know," Chloe replied quietly. "Then Max…" Chloe locked eyes with the brunette. "Then why do you want to leave? Why do you choose me over your parents?"

It pained Chloe to say this. She couldn't bear the thought of living without Max. But at the end of the day, she knew that Max would be better off without her dragging her down. Sure she had money for now, but what happens when she runs out? What happens if her rusty ass truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere? Who will be there for Max? Max was talented, smart…. but her…. she was just dead weight.

Sometimes just thinking about this prospect made her angry, not because it's unrealistic, but because it's very likely.

"Chloe, I don't know how to say this but they will never accept you, they will never accept us, and I can't live without you."

These small words of reassurance gave Chloe hope. Even if she was just dragging along with Max, she knew what they both needed most: love. They were made for each other. Just as Max had said after she woke up from the stroke, they were meant to be together.

Chloe remembered when Rachel said these words to her too, and when she would question her relationship with Rachel just as she is doing with Max. It was when she was in her house, the night they were to run away. She remembered it as if it was yesterday, as if… Rachel was still here.

She recounted this moment vividly.

"Chloe! I finished packing."

It was Rachel coming down the stairs, near the entrance of the house.

She pulled Chloe aside, whispering to make sure James and Rose, who were in the kitchen, would not hear them. "Chloe, let's get this dinner over with and we can leave, run away forever."

"Rachel, I know you're upset about your dad but you, you still have a life here, a good life," she said, motioning around her to the spacious house. Chloe's eyes wandered to the floor as she tapped her foot awkwardly. "...but me… I don't have anything to stay for…"

Rachel placed her hands on Chloe's face and brought it up to meet her own fiery green eyes.

"Chloe, I'm running away with you because I know my father won't accept you. I love you and I don't know what I would do without you in BlackWell… without you in my life."

When Chloe recounted this moment with Rachel, her eyes began to water as she could no longer look at Max. She tried to regain her composure, to stay strong for her girlfriend. But she couldn't. Every time she would think about Rachel she would feel a sharp pain in her heart, anger at herself, at the world, at the whole fucking town, at that pervert Jefferson. But her anger was quelled by small arms that surrounded her torso.

"Max…"

"Chloe what's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about something…" She tried to say this with a normal tone, trying to hide her sadness.

"Is it Rachel?"

With this, Chloe couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and pressed her head against Max's chest, choking in her own anger, her own sadness. She felt her whole face grow puffy and red, but she continued to press against Max, who held her, silent and surprised.

"M-max I love you so much and I want to be with you forever!" she cried through her tears.

"Chlo… let's go… let's just go east until we hit New York or until we settle down. We'll be together."


	12. Chapter 12

**I have so much school work to deal with, but i'll crank these out when I have time... Meanwhile, Enjoy :D**

* * *

Max woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard. She kept having nightmares about Arcadia Bay, the thousands of dead innocents. Day by day she would check news updates on her phone, seeing the confirmed death count rise. It was 3 and a half weeks now, yet reconstruction still hasn't started yet.

It was still dark outside, 1:00 AM

She looked over at Chloe, who was sleeping soundly on the same bed. She and Chloe were tramps, jumping from motel to motel, down the 84. But now they are settled in Salt Lake City, in a rented apartment. They planned to stay here for a while at least to build up their income more. Chloe managed to land a job as a waitress and Max, with her photography experience, managed to get a job as a freelance photographer for a small business. At the end of the day, they made enough to sustain their modest living.

Every now and then Max would worry about her life in Arcadia Bay. How long will she and Chloe be on the run? What will she keep telling her parents?

Her parents would always text and call her, asking where she was. They knew that she couldn't be in storm-devastated Arcadia Bay, so Max told them that she was living at a friend's house. This was bullshit of course, but Max hasn't found the need to tell them yet nor did she really want to.

All the while, her relationship with Chloe blossomed more. At first it was a cliche romance story, a tale of two runaway lovers. But there was something even more romantic about having a communal salary, providing for each other and being there for each other at the end of a day's work. This was the hallmark of a true relationship.

Max looked around the room, examining the griminess of the ceiling and the walls more closely. She noticed brown spots circling the ceiling, in which cracks started to form. She squinted hard in the dark, noticed the uneven paint job of the walls, with varying shades of white. _Wowzers this place is nasty. But at least it's cheap, and it's ours._

She looked at Chloe, who slept next to her. She was breathing softly, her silhouetted chest moving up and down against the moonlight glow.

She reached over and held Chloe's sleeping hand.

 _I wonder how our relationship will end up._

With this thought, Max drifted back to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Before reading this, please listen to "The Great Northwest" by the Mighty Oaks. Also check out their other songs. They are now officially my favorite band.**

* * *

It was December now, and temperatures dropped from chilly to bitter cold. Max looked up at the TV, which was mounted high up on the wall. There were so many people in the cafe that she could barely even hear what the news reporters were saying, but she noticed that they were reporting on new funding allocated for Hurricane Rachel, the new name for the tornado.

 _Ironic. I wonder if Rachel Amber was actually behind all that._

When she went to grab her phone, some guy walked by her, bumping her shoulder, causing her to drop her phone. _Aww man, are you cereal?_

But before she could bend down to grab it, the young man picked it up for her, and put it behind his back, trying to flirt with her.

"Hey girl, i'll give it back if you promise to give me your number," he said raising one eyebrow.

Max rolled her eyes and snatched the phone back from him, almost wanting to punch him square in the face.

She put on her earbuds, trying to drown out all the noise. The first song in shuffle was _The Great Northwest_ , by Mighty Oaks.

 _On the seaside  
Oh we found our way  
In the great northwest  
Yeah we lost our sun in the rain  
And it's a long hard road that we must travel now  
Oh it winds  
I know that we shall one day move as one again in time_

This reminded her of herself and Chloe, of the romance of travel, of just finding their way outside of home. She gently bobbed her head up and down, closing her eyes to visualize the lyrics and the beautiful instrumental. Every syllable made her heart jump, made her happy.

 _Oh my love you found me at the right time  
My heart was lost to you at the first sight  
Oh my love you found me at the right time  
My heart is yours I ask that you be kind_

Max imagined that this song was about Chloe, how Chloe found her at the right time. She remembered the day in the parking lot. That day was magical, when Chloe found her and whisked her away from Nathan like a white knight. She was terrified of him, especially when he head butted Warren and grabbed her hair, pulling her around. But after she hopped into Chloe's truck, seeing the beauty and determination of her old friend in the soft daylight glow made her feel safe. From that point on, Max's heart was Chloe's.

Max finished her coffee and got up, moving through the small crowd that congregated around the television.

It was so cold outside, especially since there was at least a foot of snow throughout Utah. Max put up her fur hood, and slipped her hands in her warm coat pockets.

She passed by small stores and saw the beautiful new Christmas decorations placed on display in store windows. She walked by a few churches too, which were adorned with beautiful decorations to celebrate Jesus Christ. She loved the ornate decorations of churches, from the large Catholic ones to the small quaint Baptist churches. Max was never really religious, but she did find some appeal in having communities of like-minded people around every street corner.

She turned the corner and heard some Christmas music playing from a store. It was a CD store that Max had passed every now and then, but that she never really took notice in. She looked through the window and saw the radio playing the Christmas music, also noticing a CD of a Firewalk Album. _Wait, that's Chloe's favorite band. I guess it's not too early to buy a Christmas present..._

When she walked in the store, she heard bell chime. The Christmas music was much louder than she heard from outside, nearly filling the large store. She walked over to the Firewalk CD and checked the price. It was $100.

 _Wowzers. No wonder Chloe doesn't buy these CDs. They are so damn expensive._ Max just took the CD and brought it to the counter. As the man behind the counter scanned the CD, he remarked that this was a limited edition collection of songs.

Keeping this new treasure safe, she returned back to their apartment.

When she opened the door, Chloe was standing in the kitchen in her underwear and a t shirt, grilling some chicken and string beans.

"Hey Chloe, you're back already?" Max had expected Chloe to work a few more hours, since she had recently landed another part time job as a private entry-level pharmaceutical assistant.

"Hey Maxi-Pad, i'm making lunch."

Max walked up to the stove and took a big whiff.

"Wow Chloe, it actually smells good for once," she joked.

Chloe furrowed her brows at Max and gave her a cute smirk, "What's that supposed to mean?" She grabbed Max by the waist and pulled her close, causing Max to give a small shriek.

She planted a kiss on Max's lips, and slowly brought her hand on Max's posterior.

"Chloe!" Max said, a little surprised.

"You're so cute," Chloe replied, bringing her hand back to Max's waist.

"Heh…" Max chuckled sheepishly.

Chloe pulled her head away and looked at Max, giving her a playful smile.

Chloe wiped her hands on a towel and brought the pan to the counter, plating two plates of rice with the chicken breast and string beans.

They both ate at the dinner table and talked about places they wanted to visit. Chloe had told Max that she wanted to travel to Britain. When Max asked why, Chloe joked that she liked men with a British accent, eliciting a small kick from Max.

"Ow," Chloe cried out.

"Oh I'm sorry Chloe, I didn't—" Max started to say, before Chloe cut her off.

"Just kidding Max. You're really too cute," she smiled. Chloe reached her hand across the table, and wiped off a piece of rice stuck on Max's cheek.

"Chloe, you're such a dork."

"You too, Maxi-pad."

After they finished, Max washed the dishes, and then plopped down on the couch next to Chloe.

Chloe turned her head towards Max.

"Max, since it is almost Christmas and it's our two month anniversary, I got you this cool Polaroid." Chloe reached to the right of the couch, pulled out a small box, and opened it. It was a white 13 megapixel snap-touch polaroid camera.

"Wowzers Chloe! You shouldn't have! This is amazing!"

Max always wanted this camera, but didn't want to fork over money for it. She felt guilty, since she actually forgot that it was their two month anniversary. But she was glad she actually decided to buy the CD, or else it would've been awkward.

"Hold on Chloe, I got something for you too."

Max rushed over to take the CD out of her messenger bag. She gave it to Chloe, which prompted a small gasp from her.

"I love Firewalk. This is limited edition too! You didn't have to give me anything"

Max looked at Chloe with a sheepish smile. "Of course Chloe, I wouldn't forget our two month anniversary."

Chloe sensed Max's lie, raising one eyebrow and smirking at her. "You're such a bad liar, but I love you"

Chloe grabbed her phone, and played some romantic music, a fitting way to start the night of their anniversary.


End file.
